Africa-Press – Gambia. The Cement Importers and Traders Association has accused the government of contributing to the ongoing cement shortage and rising prices in The Gambia through what it describes as unjust and monopolistic import policies.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Baba Drammeh, a member of the association, criticized the government’s decision to impose high import duties on cement from Senegal, calling the move “illegal, wrong, and corrupt.”
“We felt strongly that what the government did was blatantly wrong, illegal, and corrupt. We need to have a fair and open market system where all those who can be involved in the cement trade are able to do so freely. But we found ourselves in a situation whereby the government has chosen to collude with a few at the expense of us and the interest of the general public,” he said.
Drammeh emphasized that The Gambia relies entirely on imported cement, as the country lacks the natural resources—particularly limestone—required for local production.
“To set the record straight, there are no companies here that manufacture cement. All cement that is consumed in The Gambia comes from overseas. We do not have the natural resources to manufacture cement, limestone is the key ingredient that goes in the manufacturing of cement Gambia does not have,” he explained.
He highlighted the economic impact of the import tariffs, noting that the price of cement has surged from approximately D370–D380 per bag to over D470–D480 since the policy was implemented. “Before the import ban, you could buy cement for D370, D380, Today cement price stands at over D470,D480, That’s a significant increase in the price,” he said.
He further notes that The Gambia consumes over 100,000 bags of cement daily, and with the recent price hike, the added burden falls heavily on ordinary Gambians.
“This is totally wrong. We consume over 100,000 bags of cement in the Gambia daily. With the cement price jumping over D100, the Gambian consumer is left paying the price. That equates to hundreds of millions of dalasis s that the Gambian consumer is paying today that they were not paying when they did not ban the import of cement from Senegal,” he said.
Drammeh also pointed out that the association had warned about the potential consequences of such a policy, including the current shortage. Stating, “We predicted this was going to happen, scarcity is what is happening now. You can hardly find cement across the Kombos or even in the provinces today.”
He stated, “The people who are made to pay those are the teacher who is trying to build that house, the policeman who is trying to build a house for himself and his family, that young man and that young lady in Europe and America trying to build a house are now made to pay significantly higher,” he said.
He also called on the government to reconsider its decision, saying, “We urge the government. They should never encourage monopolistic behaviour. It is never good for the consumer, The best form of price control is open and fair competition in the marketplace.”
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